Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Think you know rubies? Test your knowledge of July’s birthstone with our quiz! Answers are at the end, but don’t peek!

The word ruby is derived from what Latin word for red?

What does the Sanskrit word for ruby, “ratnaraj,” mean?

Ruby is the birthstone for July, as well as what astrological sign?

Ruby
is the red gem quality form of the mineral corundum, the second hardest
natural mineral known to mankind. What is the first hardest natural
mineral?

What causes the red coloration of rubies?

What are all colors of corundum other than red known as?

What are pink shades of rubies known as?

On what wedding anniversary are rubies given?

The finest rubies in the world were once found in Burma in Southeast Asia. What is the country Burma called today?

Rubies from the legendary mines in Mogok often have a pure red color. What avian term is sometimes used to describe this color?

The
most expensive ruby ever sold was an 8.62-carat, pigeon's blood
cushion-cut ruby set in an 18-karat gold rectangular mount. How much did
it sell for and where was the auction?

In ancient times, ruby was thought to give its wearer what?

True or false: Rubies are considered more valuable than top-quality diamonds.

At
the end of the movie The Wizard of Oz, Glinda the Good Witch of the
North tells Dorothy she can return home to Kansas by clicking the heels
of her ruby slippers together three times and repeating what phrase?

In 1960, how did scientist Theodore Maiman change the world with a ruby?

Ruby quiz answers:

The word ruby comes from the Latin for red, “rubeus,” “ruber,” or “rubens.”

The Sanskrit word for ruby is “ratnaraj” which roughly translates to “king of the gems.”

Ruby is also the gemstone for the astrological sign of Capricorn.

The
diamond is the first hardest mineral with an absolute hardness of 1600,
four times more than corundum, which has an absolute hardness of 400.

Trace amounts of the element chromium is what causes rubies to appear red.

Colors of corundum other than red are called sapphires.

Rubies in shades of pink are simply referred to as pink sapphires.

Rubies are traditionaly given to celebrate both the 15th and 40th wedding anniversaries.

Today, Burma is known as Myanmar.

The color of the pure red rubies from the mines of Mogok is sometimes referred to as "pigeon'sblood.”

The most expensive ruby ever sold at auction was purchased at Christie’s in 2006 for a reported $3.6 million.

Ruby was thought to give its wearer good health, wisdom, wealth, and success in love.

True. Flawless top-quality rubies are more valuable and rarer than top-quality colorless diamonds.

To return to Kansas, Dorothy must click her heels three times and repeat, "There's no place like home."

Theodore
Maiman invented the world's first laser, known as the "ruby laser" in
1960. The first generation of lasers were solid state using a ruby
crystal.